Service to one religion only?

Service to one religion only?

From Republika

President Abdurrahman Wahid (or Gus Dur) in his dialog with
figures of the Hindu religion in Denpasar on Oct. 24, 1999 said
that the ministry of religious affairs had been made a place
where some people sought power and others sold religious services
and faiths. It seems as if the ministry of religious affairs had
become a market place where faiths and religious services were
the commodities to be traded. Also, until now it seems as if this
ministry were intended only for only one religion, the president
said.

In the writer's opinion, Gus Dur's criticism or more exactly,
allegation, was exaggerated and made-up, especially the
allegation that the ministry of religious affairs had served one
religion only (obviously it means Islam, here). As a pensioner of
this ministry with 40 years of dedication, the writer knows full
well that this ministry fosters and serves the five religions
legally sanctioned by the government, namely Islam, Protestant
Christianity, Catholicism, Hinduism and Buddhism. It is not right
that it is concerned only with one religion.

The structure of the ministry at the central level reveals
this fact and this is reflected also in the regional offices. At
the central level, there are five directorates general i.e.
Directorates General of Islam and Haj Pilgrimage Affairs,
Institutionalization and Religious Judicature, Protestant,
Catholic and Hindu and Buddha. Every directorate general
comprises a number of directorates and what is found at the
central level will also be reflected in the regions (provinces,
districts, municipalities and so forth).

Not all regional offices at provinces and offices of the
ministry of religious affairs in districts/municipalities in
Indonesia are headed by Muslims. In a region where Muslims are
not predominant, such as Bali, for example, the head of the
regional office and the head of the office of the ministry of
religious affairs in a district/municipality is headed by a Hindu
although many of the employees are Muslims. In East Nusa Tenggara
these offices are headed by Catholics while in Irian Jaya by
Protestant Christians. In East Timor, these offices used to be
headed by Catholics. So, it is obvious that the ministry of
religious affairs protects and serves the believers of the five
official religions in Indonesia.

The president is absolutely wrong to allege that the ministry
of religious affairs serves one religion only or that it is the
ministry for one religion (Islam) only because the facts speak
otherwise. Maybe the president has received information from an
incorrect source or perhaps he has made the statement in order to
win sympathy from believers of other religions in Indonesia. Yet,
he should not have discredited Muslims, should he? Perhaps Gus
Dur sees that every year the government (in this case the
ministry of religious affairs, is very busy attending to people
wishing to embark on their haj pilgrimage so that it seems as if
this ministry only attended to Muslims only. It must be
understood, in this respect, that the obligation to go on the haj
pilgrimage or such things can be found among Muslims, and not
among believers of other religions.

Besides, the ministry of religious affairs has always fostered
and maintained a harmonious ties among people of different
religions in Indonesia by means of, among other things,
organizing religious conferences intended to foster mutual
understanding and mutual respect among people of different
creeds.

HM YAHYA

Pekanbaru, Riau